Federal officials reportedly issued an alert to law enforcement warning that white supremacist groups were encouraging members who’ve contracted the novel coronavirus to spread the disease to police, racial minorities, and Jewish people.
The Federal Protective Service, which is a division of Homeland Security, wrote in an intelligence brief for the week of February 17-24 that white supremacists ordered followers to weaponize the coronavirus using various items — including spray bottles containing infected saliva.
“Violent extremists continue to make bioterrorism a popular topic among themselves. White Racially Motivated Violent Extremists have recently commented on the coronavirus stating that it is an ‘OBLIGATION’ to spread it should any of them contract the virus,” the brief reads, according to Yahoo.
ABC News reported that white supremacists also instructed members to spread the coronavirus to Jewish people by visiting places they’ve congregated, including businesses, markets, and places of worship.
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According to Yahoo, federal authorities claimed that white supremacists laid out their plans on an encrypted app called Telegram. They alleged that extremists instructed infected followers to spend time with perceived racial and political enemies, put saliva on door handles at FBI offices, and spit on elevator buttons.
The Department of Homeland Security declined Yahoo’s request for comment.
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